Thermoelectric power supply
AssigneeCochlear Limited
InventorsJesse Woolaston, Dirk Fiedler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermoelectric power source for generating power for use by at least one load device including an implantable thermoelectric unit having at least one thermoelectric device configured to be electrically coupled to the at least one load device, and at least one impedance matching device constructed and arranged to match an output impedance of the thermoelectric device with an input impedance of the load device.
Claims30
A thermoelectric power source for generating power for use by at least one load device comprising:
- a thermoelectric (TE) device array configured to be electrically coupled to said at least one load device, said TE device array comprising:
- a plurality of perimeter TE devices each having at least one edge which is coincident with an edge of said TE device array;
- and
- at least one interior TE device the edges of which do not coincide with an edge of said TE device array;
- and
- at least one first impedance matching device:
- constructed and arranged to match an output impedance of one or more of said perimeter TE devices with an input impedance of said load device, and
- electrically coupled to the output of one or more of said perimeter TE devices;
- and
- at least one second impedance matching device:
- constructed and arranged to match an output impedance of one or more said interior TE devices with an input impedance of said load device, and
- electrically coupled to the output of one or more of said interior TE devices.
An active implantable medical device comprising:
- at least one load device;
- and
- a thermoelectric (TE) power source for generating power for use by said at least one load device comprising:
- an array of TE devices configured to be electrically coupled to said at least one load device, said TE device array comprising:
- a plurality of perimeter TE devices each having at least one edge which is coincident with an edge of said TE device array;
- and
- at least one interior TE device the edges of which do not coincide with an edge of said TE device array;
- and
- at least one first impedance matching device each electrically coupled to at least one of said perimeter TE devices and configured to match an output impedance of said at least one perimeter TE device with an input impedance of said load device;
- and
- at least one second impedance matching device each electrically coupled to one or more of said at least one interior TE device, and configured to match an output impedance of said one or more interior TE devices with an input impedance of said load device.
A thermoelectric (TE) power supply for electrically coupling to a load, the TE power supply comprising:
- an array of TE devices, said array comprising:
- a plurality of perimeter TE devices each having at least one edge that is coincident with an edge of said array;
- and
- at least one interior TE device the edges of which do not coincide with an edge of said array;
- and
- at least one first impedance matching device:
- constructed and arranged to match an output impedance of one or more of said perimeter TE devices with an input impedance of said load;
- electrically coupled at an input to at least one of said perimeter TE devices, and
- electrically coupleable at an output of one or more of said perimeter TE devices to said load;
- and
- at least one second impedance matching device:
- constructed and arranged to match an output impedance of one or more of said interior TE devices with an input impedance of said load;
- electrically coupled at an input to at least one of said interior TE devices, and
- electrically coupleable at an output of one or more of said interior TE devices to said load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.